NJ shore recovery ads star Christie

May 19, 2013

Gov. Chris Christie

Written by

Bob Jordan

Gannett Statehouse Bureau

TRENTON — Executives from a public relations firm made their pitch to state officials for a $25 million tourism advertising contract by saying they wanted Gov. Chris Christie to have a starring role.

They got their wish, they got the work, and the resulting TV commercials during an election year likely won’t hurt Christie’s chances of staying in office, some observers say.

Christie and his family have leading roles in the first 30-second TV commercial from the “Stronger Than The Storm” campaign that touts the Jersey shore as a vacation destination able to shrug off the effects of Superstorm Sandy.

The six total commercials are paid for from a slice of the $60 billion in federal disaster aid earmarked for New Jersey and other Northeast states. They provide the Republican governor extra exposure in the New York and Philadelphia broadcast markets, where New Jersey viewers will see the spots frequently through July. The commercials also will run on a scaled-back schedule in August and September.

Christie’s likely November opponent, Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono, said they give the incumbent an unfair advantage.

“The hard-working and resilient people who have rebuilt their businesses and homes after Sandy should have been the star of these ads,” Buono said in a statement. “That Gov. Christie would allow $25 million in federally funded ads to feature him in the middle of an election year is both supremely arrogant and wildly inappropriate.”

Each of the six commercials also has a version without Christie, said Shannon Eis, senior vice president of East Rutherford-based MWW. The company beat out three other competitors in bidding overseen by the state Treasury Department and the Economic Development Authority.

But Eis said company executives made it clear to state officials in their pitch for the contract that Christie would have a prominent role.

“From the creative side, we had to decide who is the strongest voice communicating that we’re back from the storm, and the governor has been that voice,” Eis said. “We put out this very huge concept that included having the governor’s office involved loud and clear.”

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A spokesman for Christie, Colin Reed, said: “It was a creative decision by the Stronger Than The Storm campaign to include Gov. Christie and the first lady. They are in a uniquely qualified position to tell a very wide audience beyond New Jersey that our state and our shore is open for business.”

Taxpayer funding

New Jersey has a long history of governors, both Republican and Democrat, starring in taxpayer-funded advertising. Advertising executives say using a governor is an effective voice for the state, but such ads also have the impact of enhancing a governor’s public image with voters.

In the 1980s, Republican Gov. Thomas H. Kean became nationally known for his trademark slogan, “New Jersey and you, perfect together,” that was featured in tourism ads.

A good-government expert said the idea of a sitting governor appearing in state ads during an election year “makes me laugh more than it makes me grimace.”

“I can’t say it’s unethical because it’s not unusual for a governor to be involved in a tourism campaign,” said Bill Buzenberg, executive director of The Center for Public Integrity. “When you drive into a state, you see the welcome signs with the governor’s picture. The pictures are usually bigger in an election year.”

Buzenberg said Christie’s presence in the ads will “probably” benefit tourism, adding, “Will it also help Christie? Probably.”

Eis said the commercials also will run in parts of Pennsylvania and other primary markets, and will play in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, upstate New York and eastern Canada as secondary markets.

Christie is on screen for four seconds in the first 30-second spot. He and his family have the only three lines of script.

The $25 million expenditure also covers the tab for radio commercials, billboards at the Lincoln Tunnel and in Times Square, a website and social media, Eis said. Christie is absent on many of the supplemental elements, although the website has his picture and a link to his “Thank You New Jersey” video on YouTube.

Robert Hilton, executive director of the Jersey Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he hopes the campaign “invites people to come back to the shore and make new memories.

“It’s good that we have the campaign. We have a message and it’s strong and people will see that we’re open for business after Sandy despite what they’ve believed,” said Hilton, who added that featuring Christie will help draw tourists because “his popularity is going to help us.”

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